The new diesel rules: who will not be allowed into the city in the future

Created: 06/10/2022, 16:35

By: Klaus Vick

Smelly exhaust fumes should be kept out of the city.

© Volkmar Schulz

The city is serious about driving bans.

From February, diesel vehicles in emission classes Euro 1 to 4 will no longer be allowed to enter the environmental zone and the Mittlerer Ring.

There are exceptions for residents and delivery traffic.

A ban on Euro 5 diesel could also follow in a year.

The clean air plan for Munich has been the subject of debate for years.

Politically and in court.

Now there is a clear catalog of measures that Mayor Katrin Habenschaden (Greens) and the climate and environmental protection officer, Christine Kugler (independent), presented on Thursday.

According to Habenschaden, the city has negotiated a phased plan with the plaintiffs from the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD) and the German Environmental Aid (DUH).

"Without this compromise, the courts would have imposed driving bans immediately," the mayor indicated.

The background is that the state government delegated responsibility for the implementation of the clean air plans to the municipalities in 2021.

And in Munich, the EU limit values ​​for nitrogen dioxide pollution are still being exceeded at four measuring points: at two points on Landshuter Allee, on Tegernseer Landstrasse and on the Leuchtenbergring.

Have damage: “We would have liked to have spared motorists the bans, but protecting the health of citizens is our greatest duty.” All expert studies have shown that the exclusion of diesel vehicles is the most effective measure to improve air quality.

According to the administration, Munich may face EU fines of up to one million euros per day if the city does not act.

Driving bans are an impertinence for many citizens

habenharm said that she very much regrets that it had to come to this – because driving bans are an impertinence for many citizens, especially at the moment.

The city will therefore create transition periods and exceptions for residents, delivery traffic and craftsmen.

At the same time, the mayor of Munich criticized the Free State: "For years, the state government has put the car before health protection and neglected the traffic turnaround."

Mayor Katrin habenschaden.

© Marcus sleep

The phased plan envisages that from February 1, 2023, the existing environmental zone will be expanded to include the middle ring road and that a ban on diesel vehicles with the Euro 4 emissions standard will also be imposed in this new zone.

So far, this verdict has only applied up to emission class Euro 3. Local residents and delivery traffic will continue to be excluded from the driving ban.

If the nitrogen dioxide values ​​do not improve in the meantime, diesel vehicles with emission class 5 will also be excluded from October 2023.

Habenschaden and Kugler unanimously assumed on Thursday that "this second stage must be ignited".

In stage three - it would apply from April 1, 2024 - the exemptions for delivery traffic and residents would also be over.

If the limit values ​​are observed everywhere in the city area by then,

Environmental Advisor Christine Kugler.

© Marcus sleep

The town hall government made up of Greens and SPD wants to adopt the phased plan on October 26 in the city council.

In Munich there are 140,000 diesel vehicles with emission standards 4 and 5, and there are even more affected throughout the region.

Wolfgang Fischer from the retail association CityPartner sees both unequal treatment of commuters and discrimination based on where they live within Munich.

For example, a car owner from Haidhausen may continue to drive in the environmental zone without restrictions, while a car owner from Berg am Laim is forbidden to do so.

Fischer also refers to the through traffic via the Mittlerer Ring to the Autobahn and doubts that the bans can be controlled.

There should be other exceptions

Habenschaden said on Thursday that she assumes "that most citizens will behave in accordance with the law".

In practice, it should be the case in the future that the police will check during routine checks whether the car owners have also violated the driving ban.

If this is the case, a penalty of 100 euros plus administration fee is due.

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Anne Hübner, SPD faction leader in the city council, announced yesterday that she would campaign for further exceptions: "For people who depend on their car but cannot afford a new vehicle." This is essential in view of the current price increases .

CSU faction leader Manuel Pretzl described the driving bans as a "slap in the face to normal citizens".

VCD and DUH want to declare their proceedings before the courts closed if the measures contained in the phased plan are implemented.